


Ones and Zeros

by ladyofthefelines



Category: Game Grumps, Ninja Sex Party (Band), Starbomb (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, SOULMATE TIMERS, rating will increase as story goes on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-03
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-08-12 20:10:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7947394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyofthefelines/pseuds/ladyofthefelines
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You'd been waiting for this your whole life. But were you really ready for it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Killing a Bird with Two Stones

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Time](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3325493) by [MHGeek](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MHGeek/pseuds/MHGeek). 



> go check out the work this was inspired by, it's incredible.  
> title taken from the song 'ones and zeros' by young guns (which is also brilliant).

**00 / 25d / 00hrs / 13min / 08s**

 

You sighed, grabbing the bowl of pop-corn from the coffee table in front of you. “Dude, I’m sorry okay? I’ll go next year, I promise.”

“You say that every year!” Max practically yelled, throwing her hands up into the air. You bit your lip. She had a point. You’d been planning to go to PAX for three years now, but something would always come up to prevent you from going. Atleast this year you had a better excuse.

“Are you forgetting about my timer? It’s counting down to the 21st, the same day as the first day of PAX!” You said back at equal volume. “What if I miss out on meeting my soulmate because I’m getting squished by hundreds people?”

“Come on [y/n], you and I both know that’s not how it works. If you’re gonna meet on that day, it’ll happen.”

You sighed again, before reaching down and grabbing yourself a handful of popcorn. “Fine, you win.” You said between mouthfuls. You’d barely gotten the last two words out before Max jumped on top of you, screeching.

“Yes! Thank you! Fucking finally.” “Shut up and play the movie, asshole.”

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

**00 / 00d / 35hrs / 23min / 12s**

 

“So, are you nervous?”

“Not really, I mean I’m kinda worried about hitting traffic but even if we do we’ll have plenty of time to check in at the hotel.” You said, chewing your lip as you carefully reversed out of your drive-way, before turning onto the street and heading towards the highway.

“Oh my god, you cannot be serious. Not the drive, you doofus, about meeting your soulmate tomorrow!”

“Oh.” Truth be told, you were. You’d grown up hearing about stories of soulmates meeting for the first time, and it was a lot to live up to. Everyone made it sound so dramatic; time slowing down and the overwhelming feeling of being “whole” just seemed a bit too far-fetched. We’ll see, you thought.

You were pulled back into reality at the sound of Max yelling.

“The light’s red dude!”

“Oh sorry,” you mumbled, bringing the car to an immediate halt.

“Anyway, like I was saying,” Max continued, “The Grumps panel is at half 3, and the signing starts at 5. Hopefully we’ll be able to make it out for dinner around half 6? Is that enough time?” She paused, and you opened your mouth to answer but were cut off, “That should be more than enough time. Shall I book a table? What do you fancy? Italian? I think there’s a good ice-cream place near the hotel that we could-”

“Dude!” you practically screamed, tightening your grip on the steering wheel. “Relax! Can’t we just see what happens?”

Max sighed, before folding her arms. “I just want to make sure everything works out.” She said quietly, turning to face the window.

You knew you were being harsh, but all you could think about was the pulsing timer on your wrist. You were quite glad to be driving; the road claimed your attention, preventing you from staring at the flicking numbers for too long.

“I’m sorry for yelling, I just… this is a big day for me y’know? I mean, I know you’re excited about PAX, but this is bigger than that. This is about the rest of my life.”

“Hey, yeah I’m sorry. I guess I’ve been so focussed about planning what we’re going to do and when that I pushed that to the back of my mind. But you should too. It’s a big deal, I get that, but there’s nothing you can do about it now.”

As much as you hated to admit it, she was right. No cases of soulmate timers messing up. No cases of soulmates missing each other. It was packaged as a perfect happy ever after. But you knew that wasn’t strictly true. Every year there would be a small number of news stories about unrequited soulmates. Their timer would count to zero, and the person they thought they were going to spend the rest of their lives with… would have a timer displaying a different set of numbers.

No matter how hard Max tried to understand, she just couldn’t. Her timer hadn’t set yet. She didn’t understand the “whole deal”, as she eloquently put it. Which is fair enough. It was just hard for you to go through it alone; the rest of your friends had already met their soulmates back in high school and college. You were a “late bloomer” as your parents loved to remind you. You’d grown up with stories of promised happiness, and now you were about to become the leading character.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

**00 / 00d / 19hrs / 49min / 20s**

 

“Do you think Danny is just as charming in real life as he is on the internet?” Max asked, not even looking up from her laptop screen.

You rolled your eyes as you climbed into bed beside her. “I dunno. Guess we’ll find out huh?”

“Do you think he’s still single?” She continued.

“I think he is definitely above sleeping with a fan, if that answers your question. Can we please go to bed? All the driving has tired me out.” Your point was proven with a yawn. You’d been hoping to nap as soon as you made it to your hotel room, but Max had other plans. She dragged you out for dinner and a stroll around near where the convention was being held. Meeting spots were then circled on two copies of a map of the area, before you both headed back to the room.

Ignoring your question but closing her laptop, Max asked, “What does your timer say?”

“Just over 19 hours.” You replied a bit too quickly, chewing the inside of your lip. You’d hardly been able to tear your eyes away from it.

“Dude that’s like,” she paused to count on her fingers, “5pm? Yeah. Same time as the Grump signi- holy shit you’re gonna meet your soulmate at the same time as meeting the grumps! Damn, that’s like killing a bird with two stones or whatever the saying is.”

“It’s killing two birds with one stone, you dweeb. And yeah, I guess.” You said, looking down and playing with your thumbs.

“Hey,” Max said more softly, reaching out to touch your arm. “It’ll be fine okay? I promise. We can all go out for ice cream later.”

“Okay. That sounds really nice actually. God, I hope you two get along. Will you be gentle with them?”

“I’m not promising anything,” Max said with a wink, before reaching over and turning off the bedside lamp. “Goodnight [y/n], try and get to sleep.”


	2. Holding Up The Line

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am so sorry this took so long to upload! thank you to everyone who read the first chapter and left kudos; i promise to try and get another chapter up soon.

**00 / 00 / 09hrs / 10min / 32s**

 

Your legs seemed to groan in protest as you climbed out of bed.

“Is it really time to get up already?” Max murmured, burying her head deeper into the pillows.

“Yes it is.” You yawned.

“What’s the time anyway?”

“It’s 8am,” you replied, grabbing a towel from the radiator and turning to face the sleepy form in the bed. “I’m going for a shower, and you better be awake by the time I come out.”

A sluggish response was given and you rolled your eyes in retort before entering the bathroom. Throwing the towel haphazardly onto the floor next to the sink, you turned and climbed into the shower. Your eyes casually drifted to your timer as you waited for the water to heat up, and your stomach immediately flipped. You’d half hoped the timer would change; giving you a few more hours to prepare for it. But it hadn’t. Nine hours remained until you’d meet them, the person you were going to spend the rest of your life with. You couldn’t help but wonder what they were like. Would you get along? Would you have things in common with them?

It was pointless worrying really; it was all predetermined. Everything should, /would/, you corrected yourself, work out perfectly. In 9 hours, Max, your soulmate and yourself would be enjoying ice-cream together, and all of this worrying will be behind you. You hoped.

You quickly realised that you’d been stood in the shower doing nothing for the last ten minutes. You quickly washed your hair and climbed out.

Hearing the shower shut off, a voice called out on the other side of the bathroom door. “Took you bloody long enough. Can I come in and brush my teeth?”

Wrapping a towel around you, you walked over and opened the door, letting a very tired looking Max into the room.

“Man, you look awful,” you couldn’t help but giggle.

“It’s your fault for waking me up at such an ungodly hour. Shut up and pass me my toothbrush, you pleb.”

You laughed harder, and handed the toothbrush to your grouchy friend. “Hurry up and get in the shower, there’s a panel on gaming culture that I really wanna see at 10:30.”

“You’re such a bore,” Max said, pausing in between brushing her teeth.

You rolled your eyes and bumped your hips against hers before turning to face the mirror. Your hands immediately went to your hair, and began trying to at least tame it slightly.

“Can you at least let me do your hair and makeup?” Max asked, having finished brushing her teeth.

“Why bother?”

She must have ignored your question as she immediately left the bathroom, and returned with an armful of products.

“Sit.” Max ordered, nodding to the toilet seat.

You reluctantly agreed, unconsciously signing up for an hour of eyebrow plucking, eyeliner and hair taming.

It took all of your strength not to fall asleep on the toilet seat. Max gently hummed as she busied herself around you, clearly content at your lack of protesting. At last, she pursed her lips and took a step back. “There,” She murmured. “Now you resemble an actual human.”

You muttered a “fuck you” at her before you stood up and looked into the mirror. A large grin appeared on your face as you took your reflection. You didn’t want to admit it, but Max had done a brilliant job. Your hair was curled and piled into a ‘messy’ bun on the top of your head - something simple, but something that would have taken you hours if you’d attempted it alone. Your makeup was the icing on top of the cake; she’d given you a sultry smoky eye, which made your eyes look impressively doe-like and captivating.

Max’s voice seemed to echo as she walked around the hotel room, oblivious to your moment of silence in the bathroom. “So I’m thinking you should wear either a nude lip, or something bold, y’know like red or-”

“Max!” You interrupted, finally looking away from the mirror and rushing over to hug your friend. “I love it. Thank you.”

“Anytime dude.” She smirked, wrapping her arms around you and propping your head up on your shoulder. “Let’s get going, you can choose the lipstick later.”

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

**00 / 00 / 00hrs / 12min / 32s**

 

 “Do you think I’d get kicked out if I just immediately went down on one knee in front of Danny?” Max said, her eyes glued to the man.

You rolled your eyes and laughed. That was the third time she’d asked you a question of that sort today. She’d spent the majority of the day describing just how, where and what she’d do with Not-So-Grump. You’d lost count of the amount of times she’d grabbed your arm whilst you were in a crowd of people, gushing and pointing to any bushy haired tall-person, thinking it was him.

“God, he looks so hot today,” she continued, practically moaning, before an edge of seriousness appeared in her voice. “He looks kinda tired though.”

You followed her gaze and couldn’t help but agree. The bushy haired man was currently laughing at something a fan had said to him, but you couldn’t help but notice the way his smile never really reached his eyes.

Your heart dropped, and you briefly considering abandoning the signing and going back to the hotel. But the line was shortening; there was only about five people behind you now. He’d be able to rest soon, you told yourself.

“You remembered the game, right?” Max asked.

“Yeah,” your grip tightened on your copy of ‘Pokémon: Fire Red’, wishing your hands would still. A wave of anxiety passed over you as your eyes drifted over the people you were about to meet. You’d been so caught up in all of the soulmate drama, that you’d forgotten your main reason for going to the convention in the first place. It all felt slightly surreal; seeing the Grumps in real life, and not just through a computer screen.

“I’m gonna ask him to marry me.” Max whispered as you both shuffled in the queue. There was only one person in front of Max now, before she’d reach the table the Grumps were sat at. Barry was the first one, followed by Ross, Suzy and Arin, with Dan on the end.

“Max I swear to god-”

“You’ll be my maid of honour, don’t worry.”

“Max. Please.”

 

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

**00 / 00d / 00hrs / 02min / 11s**

 

Max was 100% serious when she teased about proposing to Danny. You were watching Arin draw a very evil looking Beedrill on your game when you saw Max shifting out of the corner of your eye. By the time you’d turned to face her, one knee was on the ground and a hand was outstretched to a very red-faced Danny.

Arin seemed to notice too, as he stopped drawing and loudly slammed your game on the table. “And what is this?!” He roared, pointing to Max. “How dare you! He’s mine!”

“Yeah man,” Dan said, laughing. He was still blushing. “I’m clearly spoken for.”

Max had collapsed into a pile on the floor, holding her sides and giggling loudly. You shook your head and joined in with them, almost wishing you’d filmed the whole thing.

“Now,” Arin cleared his throat before continuing, sitting back down and turning to you. “Thanks again for bringing this. People keep asking me to sign Sonic Boom and I get like, flashbacks.” He shook his head and laughed as he signed his name next to the Pokémon. “That game was something else.”

 

“Thank you so much Arin, I really appreciate it,” You replied, smiling warmly at him before looking down at the drawing. He’d drawn a thick outline of a heart around the character, with a banner underneath proudly spelling out “Buntd,”.

You were still grinning at it when you appeared in front of Dan. “Hey.”

“Hi,” He beamed, before looking at the game. “Want me to sign?” You nodded, handing it to him. “Man this game was fun,” he said, chuckling to himself. “If I could draw I’d attempt that cool one with the antlers, y’know the one with the-” He lifted his head up to look at you, but you were looking somewhere else.

 

**00 / 00 / 00hrs / 00min / 00s**

 

Time seemed to slow down as a silent shocked gasp escaped your lips. Dragging your eyes from the timer to the man in front of you, you saw him looking at his own wrist, with an expression that mirrored your own. Unbeknown to you, Arin had appeared next to Dan; his eyes darting between the two of you. Thoughts were flying around your head, and for a brief moment you thought you were going to pass out.

Suddenly someone cleared their throat behind you; pulling you and Dan out of your daze. You jumped and turned to find a sour-faced teenager, a good few years younger than you, standing with their arms folded. “You’re holding up the line.” They said, sternly, nodding behind them.

“Hey, it’s-” Dan started to say, before you interrupted him.

“Y-yeah, I’m-” you paused to grab the game from the table in front of you, “Going now,”

You rushed forward before you could receive a response, immediately darting through the exit and into a crowd of people. Your heart was racing, and the threat of a panic attack loomed over you until you felt a familiar voice next to you.

“[Y/n]? What happened?” Max said, taking your free hand and wrapping it up in her own.

 “It’s Dan.” You said, breathlessly, trying to stop your voice from cracking. “Dan’s my soulmate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think i might do the next chapter from dan's perspective? to kinda explore mr "commitment-makes-me-itchy"'s thoughts on the whole soulmate deal? please let me know what you'd prefer - i know changes in perspective can get a little confusing/annoying.  
> also, i wrote this on an hour of sleep so please please let me know if there are any spelling/grammatical errors!  
> finally, thank you so much for reading!


	3. Single Digits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an update? is this the real life??????  
> seriously though, i am so sorry this took so long. i have been incredibly busy, but i promise i am not giving up on this fic! thank you so so much for all the lovely comments, and a giant thank you in particular to SirChinnigan for giving me the push i needed to switch povs for this chapter! <3

**00 / 00 / 09hrs / 10min / 32s**

“Sorry again,” Dan muttered, trying to still his restless legs. The habit, which seemed to only manifest itself whenever the 37-year-old was anxious, had caused his foot to involuntarily kick Suzy in the shin. She’d assured him it was fine, but that was all he could focus on for the next half an hour while they ate breakfast. His appetite was all but none existent; the butterflies that filled his stomach seemed to reject any kind of sustenance. He knew caffeine would only add to his nervousness, but coffee was about all he could keep down.

Arin seemed to notice this, and while Suzy and Brian were discussing the formalities of the convention, he leaned towards him and threw an arm around Dan’s shoulder.

“Bud, you really need to eat something.” He said quietly, gesturing to the untouched bagel that sat in front of him.

“I know, but I just,” The older man paused, shaking his head. “I- I can’t stop thinking about the whole thing. I can’t believe it’s so soon, I mean there’s only,” – he shifted his arm to check his timer – “9 hours left. 9 hours, Arin!”

Arin nodded, before pulling him into an embrace. It pained him to see Dan like this, and he wished he could be more help to him. Dan had morphed into a completely different person after his timer had started counting down. They were in the middle of a Grump recording session when the numbers had first appeared. He’d never seen Dan cry like that before; a chorus of disbelief and questions: “Why now? What am I going to do?”

Dan had only talked briefly about his thoughts on timers. He’d complained about how he’d grown up watching his friends’ timers turn on; forever waiting for his to do the same. Around his mid-twenties, he’d given up on the idea entirely. Some people died before their timers ever set. Some people just didn’t have one. He’d accepted long ago that he was just going to ignore the small empty strip on his wrist.

Wiping his eyes of the newly-developed tears, Dan sat up straight. “Thank you, big cat. You’ve been so great – you and Suzy, really – about this whole thing, I mean, I-I know I’m kinda making something out of nothing, but-”

Arin cut him off, dropping his arm from around his shoulders to rub Dan’s back. “It’s fine, Danny, really. Today will be over before you know it.”

 

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------

**00 / 00 / 00hrs / 12min / 32s**

 

Stifling a yawn, he tried to focus on what the person in front of him was saying, but it seemed to go in one ear and out of the other. Fatigue had really started getting to him, but it was a nice change to the anxiety he was consumed by earlier. He hadn’t checked his timer in a good few hours; all of his energy put towards trying to stay awake for the end of the signing.

Despite his blurring vision and the constant need to yawn, Dan pressed on and spoke to one fan after the next; appreciating the gifts they’d brought for him, but silently wishing the line would disappear. He smiled at everyone and laughed when it was appropriate, but he could feel his enthusiasm dropping.

To his delight, the line was now in single digits.

**00 / 00d / 00hrs / 02min / 11s**

This was the third proposal he had received today. Thankfully, Arin came to his rescue this time; loudly pointing at the girl and declaring that Dan was his.

“Yeah man,” Dan said, feeling a wave of heat wash over him, as his cheeks glowed pink. “I’m clearly spoken for.” Luckily, the proposer found this very amusing. Almost a full minute of laughter passed before she’d collected herself enough to stand up again.

“Sorry about that,” She giggled, handing him her lanyard to sign.

Dan smiled, quickly signing his name on the plastic, silently wishing all of this would go faster. He assured her it was fine, smiling once again, before waving a goodbye as she walked off.

Another fan quickly took her place.

“Hi,” He smiled, glancing at the game held in front of him. “Want me to sign?”

Popping the cap off of the sharpie next to him, he set the game down and chuckled. “Man, this game was fun. If I could draw I’d attempt that cool one with the antlers, y’know the one with the-” A tired smile spread across his face as he looked up, expecting the girl in front of him to fill in the blanks for him.

She was looking towards her wrist. Dan’s eyes dropped to his own, and he felt his heart stop altogether.

 

**00 / 00 / 00hr / 00m / 00s**

 

His brain seemed to go into overload, only being brought back to reality by a loud noise.

“You’re holding up the line.” A voice said from behind her, and Dan could feel his face get hot. How dare they? Do they have any idea what they just interrupted?

“Hey, it’s-” Dan began, gripping the edge of the table in front of him, feeling anger flood his veins.

The girl stuttered something quietly before she grabbed the game and rushed out.

“Please- just,” Dan choked out, lunging forward without thinking, sending him crashing into the table. He cursed, before steadying himself and turning to find Arin, who was, to his surprise, right next to him.

“Dude, I-, She’s-”

Arin nodded. “It’s okay. We’ll fix this; I promise.” He said quietly, before turning to face the crowd. “Signing is over, guys. Sorry.”

The younger man was quickly pulled away by management, leaving Dan standing on his own.

His soulmate was a fan. And he didn’t even catch her name. Now what?


	4. Forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> surprise! finally. an update.   
> fyi - i'm not giving up on this story, i just write painfully slowly. thank you for everyone's lovely comments, y'all make my day.   
> also sorry if there's any mistakes, i REALLY wanted to get this up as soon as it was (kinda) finished.

“What do you mean ‘it’s Dan’? Dan Avidan? Are you sure?” Max practically shrieked, as you both walked quickly out of the building.

“Of course I’m sure, Max.” You replied breathlessly, trying to keep up with her long strides. “His timer ended too. I saw it.”

That seemed to satisfy her as she sighed and continued walking, only speaking again once you’d managed to call a taxi.

Once you’d climbed in and she’d given the address to the driver, she turned to you and asked softly, “So what now?”

“I don’t know.” You chewed your lip. “I didn’t even talk to him properly. I just panicked and left.”

“We’ll deal with it tomorrow.” She almost whispered, reaching down to give your hand a squeeze. “Maybe try and get in touch with them through Twitter or something. You guys need to talk.”

You nodded, not saying anything. Resting your head against the window, you tried to focus on the world outside. Trying to focus on anything else other than the curly-haired man you’d left behind.

“I’m sure he’s just as freaked out as you are, [y/n]. No one could have seen this coming.”

“I know, I just… I can’t help but feel guilty… y’know? You were looking forward to this convention for ages and I feel like I’ve ruined it and-“

“Hey.” Max interrupted you abruptly. “Don’t think like that. This isn’t your fault – heck, this isn’t anyone’s fault. Anyway. Sorry for proposing to your soulmate.” Max giggled. You knew she was trying to lighten the mood, and you couldn’t blame her. Neither of you really had any idea what would happen now.

You bumped her shoulder softly, managing a small smile.

Max kept your hand in hers throughout the taxi ride back to the hotel, only letting go when you’d insisted that you couldn’t open the hotel room door with one hand. “Still wanna get ice cream?” Max asked as she closed the door behind her, putting her bag down on the desk before wandering towards the wardrobe.  

You sighed as you collapsed onto the bed and briefly contemplated it, before deciding to put your mental health first. “I’m really not feeling up to it, Max. Today has just mentally drained me.”

“Okay,” she said softly. “Have a browse on Netflix while I’m gone – we can watch a film and get all cosy later.”

You nodded, and mumbled quietly in agreement, watching your friend grab a blanket and throw it to you before she turned to the door, having shrugged on a different cardigan.

“Cookie dough?”

You attempted a smile and nodded slightly.

 “See ya in a bit. Love you!” she called, before throwing the door open.

Hearing the door close and lock itself, you sighed again, rolling onto your back. You willed yourself to sleep but you knew it was hopeless. The relief that sleep brought seemed miles away; your brain too loud and chaotic.

Your usual mantra in times of anxiety was ‘this will pass’, but trying to apply it to this situation was close to impossible. This isn’t temporary. This wasn’t like a panic attack over a work meeting or a phone call with your doctor; this wasn’t going away anytime soon. You can’t change your soulmate; God knows thousands – millions – of people may have wanted to. Dan was yours… forever.

Forever. Both of your lives will change now. Tears began forming in your eyes as the situation finally seemed to sink in. _What if I’m alone forever because Dan’s disgusted that I’m a fan? What does this mean for Game Grumps? Am I to blame if the channel falls apart?_ Hatred and anger began to boil in your veins. Why me? Why now? You cursed yourself for even attending the convention, and a brief surge of anger swelled towards Max for nagging you about the con in the first place.

Part of you knew you were overreacting. There’s nothing you could have done to stop this. Soulmates are assigned even before birth. Babies come into the world with a small blank strip of metal embedded within their left wrist; the countdown only beginning 25 days before the meeting. You wondered how Dan spent those days. Did he worry? Is that why he looked so tired at the signing earlier?

Hearing the door unlock, you sat up and quickly wiped your eyes with your sleeve. A mix of eyeliner and mascara was undoubtedly smeared around both of your eyes by now, but you paid no mind to it. Max would understand.

Throwing your legs off of the bed, you began walking towards to the door, ready to help Max carry the food through.

A relieved smile swept across your face as you gladly accepted the ice-cream from her. You were just about to turn back to the bed when you caught a glimpse of a certain curly haired individual making their way into the room.  

“Hey,” Dan said, shuffling in past Max. “I- uh… Can we talk?”

His hands were stuffed deep into his jean pockets, but his hair was messy as if he’d just been running his hands through it. Your breathing hitched, but you managed to meet his eyes and give him a slight nod, beckoning him further into the room.

“We’ll give you guys a minute.” A deeper voice said from the doorway before Max vanished and the door was closed once again.

“Can I…?” Dan asked, his eyes flicking between you and the bed.

“Yeah, yeah of course.” You quickly replied, rushing past him to clear a space on the bed.  

“We – Arin and I –  we uh..bumped into your friend at the ice cream place.” He explained as he sat down. “Tried to find you after you left but security were being really tight, and the crowd was – well, intrigued to say the least, I mean… hey, are you okay?” Dan paused to ask, his forehead wrinkling as his eyes scanned your face.

“Yeah, I just um…” you panicked, voice muffed as you tried to wipe your eyes again with your sleeve. Clearing your throat, you continued. “It’s just a lot, you know? Today.”

Peering up through your lashes you saw Dan nod thoughtfully, chewing his lip.

“This is really awkward, isn’t it?” You said softly, half-heartedly smiling down at your hands which were in a pile on your lap.

“Hey, it doesn’t have to be.” Gently, he placed a hand over yours and squeezed. “It’s a little… unexpected… sure, but we’ll work this out, okay?”

“Does it bother you?”

He threw you a confused look.

“That I’m a fan of the show. How do you feel about that?”

He nodded his understanding before taking a deep breath. “It’s a little weird if I’m honest. Certainly not what I expected… but it doesn’t bother me. It’s a bit odd thinking about how much you already know about me… kinda exposed in a way but… no. It doesn’t bother me.”

That seemed to calm your embarrassment as you could feel your hands begin to still.

“Tell me about yourself, though.” Dan chimed, breaking you out of your thoughts.

“Oh god, I – um. What do you mean? What do you want to know?”

“Favourite colour, favourite movie, criminal record – all the juicy stuff.” He laughed, squeezing your hand again. You couldn’t help but join in, holding onto him as your laughs blended together.

You were halfway through explaining your un-ironic love for the Star Wars prequels when the first few chords to Rush’s Subdivisions loudly filled the air.

“Ah – shit, I’m sorry it’s Arin, lemme just –“ Dan quickly fished the phone out of his back pocket, before he brought it to his ear. “Hey, man. Yeah, everything is good…” His free hand squeezed yours once more. “She’s so great… she just defended Jar Jar Binks, though, so I think it’s time to leave,” He said, winking.

“Hey!” You screeched, a little too loudly, mentally praying that the people in the rooms next to yours wouldn’t complain, swatting Dan’s hand away before bursting into laughter.

Dan snorted and stuck his tongue out at you before quickly making his goodbyes and turning to you once more. “So. What are your plans for the rest of the day?”

“Nothing really – Max and I were just gonna watch a movie I think.”

“Do you think it would be okay if I stay? For a little while longer at least?”

 You couldn’t help the smile that immediately spread across your face. “Yes. 100%. I’ll kick her out of the room if I had to.”

Dan’s face lit up enough to mirror yours before he threw an arm around you and pulled you close.

“I can’t believe you’re real,” Dan whispered, resting his chin on top of your head.  

You giggled softly, before shifting out of the embrace so you were in front of him. You leant forward to rest your forehead against his, giving his nose a quick kiss in the process. “Me neither.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!


End file.
